CATERING

A further direct sale route that some farmers and growers have chosen is to run catering businesses alongside their production; either selling produce through on-farm restaurants and cafés, or using produce from the farm in events catering.

Setting up an operation like this requires either developing or partnering with people who have the skills to run a food service business. However, it can provide a significant income stream that is likely to add a distinct selling point to the catering, as demand for high quality fresh local produce increases. It can also integrate well with other sales outlets and make use of produce that may otherwise be graded out.

Examples of farm-based catering operations include on-farm cafés, often alongside pick your own schemes and farm shops, catering for weddings and festivals, and pizza nights baking with flour grown and milled on the farm, fresh vegetables, meats and cheeses.

Partnering with a chef to organise occasional farm feasts can also be a good strategy for attracting customers to your other sales avenues and highlighting the quality of your produce.

Advantages

 * Can add significant value to produce.
 * Can create outlets for produce that would otherwise be graded out or lost to gluts.

Disadvantages

 * Requires the time and skills to run a food service enterprise.
 * Location dependant.
 * Some infrastructure investment likely to be needed.